Auto Safety

Helping Canadians drive more safely

We're committed to making our communities safer and as a leading insurer in Canada, we take auto safety very seriously. We partner with numerous organizations that specialize in road safety research and promote safe driving habits. Alongside our partners, we're working to generate awareness around the real risks on the road to prevent injury and help save lives.

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Canadian Driving Habits

As a leading Canadian insurer, we make it our business to understand the risks of the road. Part of that responsibility is helping Canadian drivers be more aware about those risks and generating positive discussions on how we can prevent injury and death. From wildlife collisions to impaired driving, we're trying to keep Canadians aware, alert and focused on the road.

Drug Impaired Driving

We asked Canadians [PDF-1.3MB] what they thought the most common form of impaired driving was. Alcohol (54%) and fatigue (32%) were listed as the top two causes for impaired driving. But only 14% indicated recreational and prescription drugs as a common cause. But drug impaired driving is a serious problem.

According to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, 14.9% of fatally injured drivers in 2012 tested positive for CNS depressants. For Canadian drivers aged 65 and older, this number rises to 20.8% testing positive for CNS depressants.

With 65% of Canadians concerned about drug impaired driving, 53% of Canadians feel law enforcement don't have the tools needed to identify drug impaired drivers.

When it comes to our legal system, 62% believe we are not prepared to deal with drivers who are impaired by marijuana.

In 2016, representatives from the Toronto Police Service, Parachute, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation participated in a discussion panel on drugs and driving. Together, they shared their concerns about drug impaired driving and some common misconceptions people had around the topic. From prescription drugs to marijuana, drug impaired driving is a serious concern that must be addressed in Canada.

Canadians need to know the risks that face us when we're on the road. And like other forms of impairment (alcohol, fatigue, distraction etc.), drug impaired driving is an increasing concern that drivers must be aware of. To prevent death, injury and additional economic costs, it is important for Canadians to stay alert, stay focused and be aware of the risks while on the road. To learn more about drug impaired driving, see the following:

In a 2016 survey, 20% of Canadians admit that they don't always look both ways when crossing the road and more than 70% admit they always or sometimes jaywalk. We also asked about their habits when it comes to "distracted walking".

Over 40% of Canadians often or sometimes text while walking and 1 in 4 Canadians always or often walk with headphones on. Add these factors all together and the risk of injury or death rises exponentially. It is important for drivers and pedestrians to stay alert and aware of their surroundings. In the U.S. the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says nearly 5,000 pedestrians were killed and an estimated 76,000 injured in traffic collisions in 2012. That’s one death every 2 hours and an injury every 7 minutes.

Whether it's encountering distracted drivers and pedestrians, construction, road obstacle, or other cyclists who don't follow the rules, safety sharing the streets is a daily adventure. So it's not surprising that one out of four Canadians think that it's not unsafe to ride a bicycle on city streets.

Friction between cyclists and motorists is well-known. According to a recent national survey form State Farm Canada, 55 percent of Canadian drivers find cyclists to be an annoyance on the road. But it's a two-way street, almost the same number (54 per cent) of cyclists find motorists to be annoying while they're biking.

Cycling can be dangerous enough, according to Statistics Canada close to 7,500 cyclists are seriously injured every year, but the danger increases if a cyclist is impaired or distracted. Alarmingly, 36 per cent of cyclists who say that they ride on busy streets and more than half of Canadian teens admit to texting while biking.

Vehicle collisions with animals on and near roadways often result in death and serious injuries for road users and wildlife alike. Between 2001 and 2010, 296 people were killed due to vehicle collisions with animals in Canada and the financial costs associated with these collisions are estimated to be $200 million annually.

Fast Facts

Between four and eight collisions occur every hour with large animals.

Vehicle collisions with wildlife continue to pose a risk as traffic volumes increase, in part because road networks and other transportation corridors (e.g., railways) act as barriers to wildlife and ecological systems.

There were 296 people killed due to vehicle collisions with animals between 2001 and 2010 (TIRF National Fatality Database).

The number of collisions with wildlife has been estimated at more than 45,000 collisions per year.

Road Safety Tips

Drivers should not swerve to avoid animals, with the potential exception of certain situations with moose, as swerving could cause you to lose control and hit another vehicle or road hazard.

When asked what the most dangerous thing a person can do on the road, 30% of Canadians said distracted driving. But 33% of Canadians admitted to checking their handheld device at least once while driving.

According to a 2015 survey, 33% of Canadians say they are victims of road rage at least once a month. The most common road rage triggers include, tailgating (30%), others driving distracted (22%), and being cut off (22%).

Aggressive driving isn't a new problem. A national survey conducted by Ekos Research (2007) for Transport Canada indicated that while 47% of the respondents agreed that speeding was a main cause of traffic collisions, 70% admitted to exceeding the speed limit at least sometimes, particularly on highways. Speeding is a factor in about 25% of deaths from vehicle crashes.

Speeding is dangerous and posted limits are put in place to mitigate risk and save lives. The Traffic Injury Research Foundation estimates that at least 20% of collisions occur as a result of speeding. In fact, every 1% increase in speed translates to a 4% greater probability of getting into a crash. Speed contributed directly to crash severity. But even with this, 46% of Canadian drivers do not feel lowering limits make our roads safer.

For more information on the effects of speeding from our partners at the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, click here.

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